Southbound I-5 ramp to Columbian Way in Seattle to close this weekend for expansion joint replacement

With a lot of weekend events, including at least one sold-out Seattle Mariners playoff game, the Washington State Department of Transportation is limiting work on its Revive I-5 project in Seattle to the southbound Interstate 5 off-ramp to Columbian Way. Work will begin at about 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and finish by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 17.

All other lanes and ramps on southbound I-5 between I-90 and Spokane Street will remain open.

WSDOT contractor crews will replace the expansion joints on the ramp during the closure. Expansion joints run across the width of the freeway allowing sections to expand and contract with weather and to flex under the weight of heavy vehicles.

It can take up to 55 hours to chip out and remove a series of old joints, place the new one and allow concrete to cure around it. Replacing these expansion joints during scheduled closures reduces the chances a joint will break and require an emergency closure.

The work is weather dependent.

People who are traveling can get real-time traffic information on mobile phones with the WSDOT traffic app and by following the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed.

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